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Eisenhofer R, Brice KL, Blyton MDJ, Bevins SE, Leigh K, Singh BK, Helgen KM, Hough I, Daniels CB, Speight N, Moore BD. Individuality and stability of the koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal microbiota through time. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14598. [PMID: 36710873 PMCID: PMC9879153 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut microbiota studies often rely on a single sample taken per individual, representing a snapshot in time. However, we know that gut microbiota composition in many animals exhibits intra-individual variation over the course of days to months. Such temporal variations can be a confounding factor in studies seeking to compare the gut microbiota of different wild populations, or to assess the impact of medical/veterinary interventions. To date, little is known about the variability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) gut microbiota through time. Here, we characterise the gut microbiota from faecal samples collected at eight timepoints over a month for a captive population of South Australian koalas (n individuals = 7), and monthly over 7 months for a wild population of New South Wales koalas (n individuals = 5). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that microbial diversity was stable over the course of days to months. Each koala had a distinct faecal microbiota composition which in the captive koalas was stable across days. The wild koalas showed more variation across months, although each individual still maintained a distinct microbial composition. Per koala, an average of 57 (±16) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected across all time points; these ASVs accounted for an average of 97% (±1.9%) of the faecal microbial community per koala. The koala faecal microbiota exhibits stability over the course of days to months. Such knowledge will be useful for future studies comparing koala populations and developing microbiota interventions for this regionally endangered marsupial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Eisenhofer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kylie L. Brice
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michaela DJ Blyton
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott E. Bevins
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kellie Leigh
- Science for Wildlife Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Brajesh K. Singh
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia,Global Centre for Land Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ian Hough
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher B. Daniels
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Natasha Speight
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ben D. Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
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Orlando CG, Possell M, Price C, Banks PB, Mercorelli L, McArthur C. A new conceptual and quantitative approach to exploring and defining potential open-access olfactory information. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:1605-1619. [PMID: 35975694 PMCID: PMC9826502 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
All organisms emit odour, providing 'open-access' olfactory information for any receiver with the right sensory apparatus. Characterizing open-access information emitted by groups of organisms, such as plant species, provides the means to answer significant questions about ecological interactions and their evolution. We present a new conceptual framework defining information reliability and a practical method to characterize and recover information from amongst olfactory noise. We quantified odour emissions from two tree species, one focal group and one outgroup, to demonstrate our approach using two new R statistical functions. We explore the consequences of relaxing or tightening criteria defining information and, from thousands of odour combinations, we identify and quantify those few likely to be informative. Our method uses core general principles characterizing information while incorporating knowledge of how receivers detect and discriminate odours. We can now map information in consistency-precision reliability space, explore the concept of information, and test information-noise boundaries, and between cues and signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malcolm Possell
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Catherine Price
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Peter B. Banks
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Louis Mercorelli
- The Sydney Informatics HubThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Clare McArthur
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNSW2006Australia
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Goldenberg SZ, Parker JM, Chege SM, Greggor AL, Hunt M, Lamberski N, Leigh KA, Nollens HH, Ruppert KA, Thouless C, Wittemyer G, Owen MA. Revisiting the 4 R’s: Improving post-release outcomes for rescued mammalian wildlife by fostering behavioral competence during rehabilitation. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.910358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rescue, rehabilitation, and release (‘rescue-rehab-release’) of wildlife is an increasingly widespread practice across ecosystems, largely driven by habitat loss, wildlife exploitation and a changing climate. Despite this, its conservation value has not been realized, in part due to the scarcity of what has been termed “the 4th R”, research. Similar to conservation breeding and headstarting, rescue and rehabilitation entails close association of humans and the wildlife in their care over impressionable and extended periods. However, unlike these interventions, rescue and rehabilitation require an initial, and sometimes sustained, focus on crisis management and veterinary needs which can impede the development of natural behaviors and promote habituation to humans, both of which can compromise post-release survival and recruitment. In this perspective, we discuss the pathways toward, and implications of, behavioral incompetence and highlight opportunities for testable interventions to curtail negative outcomes post-release, without compromising the health or welfare of rescued individuals. We propose that practitioners ‘switch gears’ from triage to fostering behavioral competence as early in the rehabilitation process as is possible, and that research be implemented in order to develop an evidence-base for best practices that can be shared amongst practitioners. We focus on four mammalian species to illustrate specific contexts and considerations for fostering behavioral competence by building on research in the conservation translocation literature. Finally, we discuss a way forward that calls for greater cross-pollination among translocation scenarios involving extended time under human care during developmentally sensitive periods.
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Crowther MS, Rus AI, Mella VSA, Krockenberger MB, Lindsay J, Moore BD, McArthur C. Patch quality and habitat fragmentation shape the foraging patterns of a specialist folivore. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:1007-1017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Research on use of foraging patches has focused on why herbivores visit or quit patches, yet little is known about visits to patches over time. Food quality, as reflected by higher nutritional quality and lower plant defenses, and physical patch characteristics, which offer protection from predators and weather, affect patch use and hence should influence their revisitation. Due to the potentially high costs of moving between patches, fragmented habitats are predicted to complicate foraging decisions of many animals. We aimed to determine how food quality, shelter availability and habitat fragmentation influence tree reuse by a specialist folivore, the koala, in a fragmented agricultural landscape. We GPS-tracked 23 koalas in northern New South Wales, Australia and collated number of revisits, average residence time, and average time-to-return to each tree. We measured tree characteristics including food quality (foliar nitrogen and toxic formylated phloroglucinol compounds, FPCs concentrations), tree size, and tree connectedness. We also modeled the costs of locomotion between trees. Koalas re-visited isolated trees with high leaf nitrogen disproportionately often. They spent longer time in trees with high leaf nitrogen, and in large trees used for shelter. They took longer to return to trees with low leaf nitrogen. Tree connectivity reduced travel costs between patches, being either individual or groups of trees. FPC levels had no detectable effect on patch revisitation. We conclude that food quality and shelter drive koala tree re-visits. Scattered, isolated trees with nutrient-rich leaves are valuable resource patches for koalas despite movement costs to reach them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew S Crowther
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
| | - Adrian I Rus
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
| | - Valentina S A Mella
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
| | - Mark B Krockenberger
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
- The Westmead Institute for Medical Research , 176 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, New South Wales 2145 , Australia
- Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney , 176 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, New South Wales 2145 , Australia
| | - Jasmine Lindsay
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
| | - Ben D Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University , Richmond, New South Wales 2753 , Australia
| | - Clare McArthur
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006 , Australia
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